Locomotive firebox equipment



Dec. 14, 1943. c. A. SIEGEL LOCOMOTIVE FIREBOX EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 25, 1942 cm; a. J

v W A'ITORNEYJ Patented Dec. 14, 1943 LOCOMOTIVE FIREEOX EQUIPMENT Chester A. Siegel, Newark, N. .L, assignor to AmericanArch Company, New York, N. Y.', a corporation of Delaware Application February 23, 1942, Serial No. 431,978

8 Claims.

This invention relates to locomotive firebox equipment, and is particularly concerned with improved water steaming and circulating devices adapted to be installed in locomotive fireboxes.

The provision of circulator devices in locomotive fireboxes is desirable to pro-mote boiler circulation and heat absorption, and with this general object in view the invention provides for the employment of a circulator device incorporating a transverse fiatted body having appreciable surface Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but illusarea, said body being of novel construction and trating a modified installation. its extended surface area being located in the From Figures 1 and 2 it will be seen that the firebox in a novel manner, as will further appear. firebox is defined by side sheets 44, a crown In addition to providing increased heat 'absorpsheet 5, a throat sheet 6 and a back sheet I. ticn area, the cireulet with th fiatted body i These several sheets cooperate with spaced outer further arranged to effectively cooperate with sheets to form water legs surrounding thefirebox. other circulator devices in supporting a fire brick Tllus a Egatpeg sheet 8 surroundsthe top9 and arch. More specifically, the construction and arsi es of e re ox, an outside throat sheet and rangement is such that uniform brick patterns back sheet i9 c op ratin respectively, With e may be used throughout the brick arch, notwithgo inside sheets 6 and I at the throat and back. The standing differences of shape as between several boiler shell ll projects forwardly from the outside circulator devices employed inagiven installation. i ts, a mul lplicity of flue tubes I; (only tWo The circulator with the fla-tted body contemeing shown) bein extended forwar ly through plated by thi invention is desirably loc ted tothe boiler barrel in accordance with known pracward the forward end of the firebox, and is so artice. I'he flue tubes l2v cooperate With flue sheet ranged that at least a large part of its surface Whlch d s e forward end Of the firebox area projects downwardly below the average plane P TIZI t 1 d th fi b of the fire brick arch. said area lying approxie Wa S S 0 l 111g 8 re OX are mately in an upright plane extended transversely N Closed y a d mg H1 in the e l pl of the firebox. In this way, if desired, the plane 0H Whlch the fuel grates (not shown) are ordinarily cf the arch may be raised. somewhat, at least in 50 A fire door ppe rsm t e. b d a a forward region thereof, without resulting in short circuiting of the fuel and flame stream at thsA gerigs of circulagoghdevicfs is arrangedw hi the forward edge of the arch. By raising the arch, e 69101 0 S8 WIPES D g increased clearance for firing is afiorded. transverse n t t n l6 a s its ds n- For certain purposes, in some locomotives, a nectedawlth e l paro gh t e Sloe combustion chamber is desirably located, just to 1 1 tOr furthgr incorporates the rear of the boiler flue sheet and above and 3 1 3 g' g fi g g g 3 forwardly of the fire brick arch. Some locomo- War 6 can er 0 e 9 i en 6 40 p arly therefrom, for communication with the tives are initially constiucted with such a oombu my h b f rm d in the bonny shell ahead boiler space through the crown sheet 5. The infi fi b I 1 0t let portions iii of the several circulators are pref- 0 f 0 f 1110c erably arched, 'as clearly appears in Figure 2, and having type com ustlon F i the several inlet portions are arranged in paralproved circulator o the present 11118111011 .avmg lelism approximat 81y in a Common plane so as a fiatted transverse body may be arranged to prov i to suppo-t arch br1ck,l 8. vide a combustion chamber of the type referred j f P the flamed bofiy circulator The forwardmost circulator is similar in gen;- of thls mventlo-n y e located Wlth its lower eral arrangement to the remaining. circulators, edge 61056 to e firebox es, t an apploprla'te but this circul'ator incorporates a relatively large distance to the rear of the throat sheet, thereby flatted body lea constituting the inlet portion separating a forward portion of the firebox space, thereof. From the drawing it will be seen that to form acombustion chamber. this flatbed body extends transversely of the The foregoing and other advantages of the infirebox in a generally upright plane, the ends vention may be secured by a construction of the being connected with the boiler space through,

type shown in the accompanying drawing, illustrating two embodiments. In the drawing- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a locomotive firebox equipped with circulator devices in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line 2.2 on Figure 1; a d

the side sheets, and the body preferably being staybolted, as shown in Figure 2. From Figure 2 it is also seen that the body Ilia presents appreciably extended surface area for heat absorption, this area depending below the mean plane of the arch formed by bricks I8.

It is also to be observed that the upper edge of the flatted body li'ia (see Figure 2) is inclined upwardly and inwardly from each side sheet, the outlet ll being coupled therewith at the high point, so as to provide effective circulation through this device and avoid regions of sluggish circulation. Note further that the upper edge of the body Eta is located generally in the same plane as the inlet portions it of the remaining circulators. In this way, uniform brick patterns may be employed throughout the fire arch.

By arrangement of the forward circulator as shown in Figures 1 and 2, with the lower edge of the body lea close to the grate line g, the flatted body 1521 serves, in effect, as a transverse partition dividing the forward part of the firebox from the rearward portion thereof. Thus, in a locomotive of the type shown in Figures 1 and 2, a combustion chamber is provided just to the rear of the flue sheet l3, to which combustion chamber air for secondary combustion of the fuel and flame stream may be introduced through the grates just to the rear of the throat sheet.

In the modified arrangement of Figure 3, the locomotive is provided with a combustion chamber l9 within the barrel part of the boiler, and in this installation the flatted body 56b of the forwardmost circulator is positioned at an appreciable height above the grate, the space between this body and the throat sheet being closed by fire brick 25 in order to prevent short circuiting of the fuel and flame stream.

In the arrangement of Figure 3, notwithstanding the fact that a body of appreciable side face area projects downwardly from the plane of the arch formed by bricks 18, the necessary clear space for firing above the grate is not impaired. In fact, as here seen, the arch formed by bricks i8 is located relatively high in the firebox, thereby increasing the clearance over the grate.

In Figure 3, as well as in Figures 1 and 2, the arch may be formed by employment of bricks of uniform pattern substantially throughout, this being accomplished in spite of the fact that various of the circulators differ appreciably from each other in configuration.

Use of uniform brick shapes in both arrangements is facilitated by virtue of the positioning of the flatted inlet body of the forward circulator in a plane approximately at right angles to the mean plane of th arch. It is noted, however, that notwithstanding said positioning of the fiatted inlet body, the tubular outlet of that circulator meets the crown sheet at right angles, this being accomplished by employment of a bend in the outlet tube, which also accommodates thermal distortions.

I claim:

1. For a locomotive firebox, a metallic watercirculating and steaming member comprising a transverse fiat body adapted to lie in a generally upright plane, open at the ends for connection into the side water legs, and having its upper edge upwardly crowned toward the center, and an outlet extending upwardly from said center and bent to accommodate thermal distortions.

2. For a locomotive firebox, a metallic watercirculating and steaming member comprising a transverse fiat body adapted to lie in a generally upright plane, open at the ends for connection into the side water legs, and having its upper edge upwardly crowned toward the center, and a substantially tubular outlet extending upwardly from said center and bent in the longitudinal plane to accommodate thermal distortions and to facilitate connection to the crown sheet.

3. In a locomotive firebox having an arch which slopes relative to the crown sheet, a metallic water-circulating and steaming member comprising a transverse fiat body lying in a plane approximately at right angles to the general plane of the arch, having its ends connected into the side water legs and its upper edge upwardly crowned toward the center, and a substantially tubular outlet extending upwardly from said center and bent in the longitudinal plane to accommodate thermal distortions and to facilitate connection to the crown sheet.

4. In a locomotive firebox, a plurality of water steaming and circulating devices, each having an inlet portion extending transversely of the firebox, with its ends connected with the side water legs of the firebox, and each device further having an outlet portion extending upwardly from the inlet portion and connected with the water space above the crown sheet, the inlet portion of one of said circulator devices being enlarged as compared with the inlet portion of other circulator devices and comprising a flatted body of substantial side face area, the body lying in a generally upright plane, and the upper edge of said body and the inlet portions of other circulator devices being located generally parallel to each other in a series, so as to serve for support of fire arch brick lying generally in a common plane, the said ilatted circulator being located toward the forward end of the series of circulators, with a substantial portion of the side face area of its body extending below the general plane of the arch, together with additional fire brick between the throat of the firebox and the lower portion of said fiatted body.

5. In a locomotive firebox, a plurality of water steaming and circulating devices arranged in a series, one in front of another lengthwise of the firebox, each circulator device having an inlet portion extending transversely of the firebox, with its ends connected with the side water legs of the firebox, and each device further having an outlet portion extending upwardly from the inlet portion and connected with the water space above the crown sheet, a fire brick arch supported by said circulator devices, the inlet Portion of the circulating device at the forward end of the firebox comprising a fiatted body of substantial side face area, lying in a generally upright plane with the upper edge thereof being located in the same general plane as the inlet portions of the other circulator devices and the lower edge thereof lying substantially below the inlet portion of the other circulator devices and serving as a transverse partition dividing the forward part of the firebox from the rearward portion thereof.

6. In a locomotive firebox, a plurality of water steaming and circulating devices arranged in a series, one in front of another lengthwise of the firebox, each circulator device having an inlet portion extending transversely of the firebox, with its ends connected with the side water legs of the firebox, and each device further having an outlet portion extending upwardly from the inlet portion and connected with the water space above the crown sheet, the inlet portion of the circulating device at the forward end of the firebox comprising a flatted body of substantial side face area lying in a generally upright plane with the upper edge thereof being located in the same general plane as the inlet portions of the other circulator devices and the lower edge thereof lying below the inlet portions the other circulator devices and near the plane of the grate, and a fire brick arch supported by said circulator devices.

7. In a locomotive firebox, a plurality of water steaming and circulating devices arranged in a series, one in front of another lengthwise of the firebox, each circulator device having an inlet portion extending transversely of the firebox, with its ends connected with the side water legs of the firebox, and each device further having an outlet portion extending upwardly from the inlet portion and connected with the water space above the crown sheet, the inlet portion of the circulating device at the forward end of the firebox comprising a fiatted body of substantial side face area lying in a generally upright plane with the upper edge thereof being located in the same general plane as the inlet portions of the other circulator devices and the lower edge thereof lying below the inlet portions of the other circulator devices and near the plane of the grate, and spaced rearwardly from the throat sheet, and a fire brick arch supported by said circulator devices.

8. In a locomotive firebox, a plurality of water steaming and circulating devices arranged in a series, one in front of another lengthwise of the firebox, each circulator device having an inlet portion extending transversely of the firebox, with its ends connected with the side water legs of the firebox, and each device further having an outlet portion extending upwardly from the inlet portion and connected with the water space above the crown sheet, the inlet portion of the circulator device at the forward end of the firebox comprising a fiatted body of substantial side face area lying in a generally upright plane and spaced rearwardly from the flue sheet and throat sheet with the upper edge thereof being located in the same general plane as the inlet portions of the other circulator devices and the lower edge portion thereof lying below the inlet portion of the other circulator devices and near the plane of the grate, and a fire brick arch supported by said circulator devices, the space between said circulator and the flue and the throat sheet forming a secondary combustion chamber CHESTER A. SIEGEL. 

